Zakandsara's Drabble Challenge!

[castiel_angel]

These are brilliant!! I love your writing style and details. So perfect

[lifelove1]

Ahhhh this is excellent! I love the way you write these characters, and Reed's tentative fascination with Stella, trying to balance her attraction with supportiveness and professionalism. The bird-on-a-fence analogy was spot-on. And I had to giggle at Martin's doofiness   Perfect execution!

[Xsneezelover3932]

Loved this!!!

[zakandsara]

28

Fandom: The Fall 

Characters: Stella Gibson, Reed Smith

Prompts: 44 – Tissue

 

 

Reed popped her head into the doorway of Stella Gibson’s office, no longer feeling the need to be invited in nor knock, which she knew was a very special kind of privilege. She opened her mouth to make her presence known, but quickly shut it when her eyes locked on Stella. The blonde woman, normally focused and steely, was behind her computer, her head resting languidly against her propped arm. Reed’s brow furrowed; she knew something was wrong. Even though she wouldn’t have been expecting a visitor, Reed thought, Stella wasn’t one to look so...tired. 

 

She thought silently outside the door for a few more seconds and finally decided to knock, softly. 

 

Stella startled, sitting up and straightening her blouse. “Hello,” she said quietly. 

 

Reed smiled a soft smile. “Hello.” She stepped inside and took a seat in the leather armchair across from the woman. “Long day?”

 

She shrugged and opened her mouth, surely, to refute Reed’s observation, but her breath caught before she could say a word. She quickly grabbed a couple of tissues from a box next to her laptop’s monitor- a box, Reed clocked, that had not been there earlier in the week. 

 

“Heh’mPhtShhh! HE’iHHtschhh-oo! Ha’EHstchhhOO!”

 

She froze, waiting, but finally wiped her nose gently and sniffled. 

 

“Oh, Stella.” Reed felt a pang pierce her stomach. “You’re sick.”

 

Stella shook her head. “Not sick,” she rebutted, sounding startlingly congested. “Just a touch less...well.”

 

Reed laughed. “You’re sick,” she said again, certain and final. “What do you need?”

 

“Nothing,” she answered immediately, looking the brunette in the eye, as though to let her know she was deadly serious. “I’m truly fine.”

 

“If you were fine,” Reed leaned forward and pushed the box of tissues closer to the woman, noticing her nose had begun to twitch again. “You wouldn’t have neglected to confirm our dinner plans.”

 

“HEHt’ihKschhhiOO!!”

 

“Bless you,” Reed smiled at her again. “Poor thing.”

 

Stella smiled back, though even that looked to Reed like it took far too much energy. “I’m sorry. About dinner. I completely-”

 

“Don’t. Please. I was only teasing. You should go get some rest.”

 

She nodded. “We’ll get that dinner soon, though.” It was a question. It was a command. 

 

“Of course.” Reed stood and took a few steps backward toward the door. “Do let me know if you need anything at all.” 

 

“You might regret that; I’m a terrible patient.” 

 

Reed let out a small chuckle. “Well, I happen to be a very good doctor. I think I can handle you.” 

 

She looked up and made eye contact with Stella who, despite her illness, still managed to give Reed that elusive, knowing look that stopped her cold. 

 

“I hope so.”  

Edited February 15, 2018 by zakandsara

[lifelove1]

Omfg I LOVED this vignette! You always nail it with these characters in a way that's so believable. Thank you for sharing your considerable talent with us

[Xsneezelover3932]

Very nice!!! I love the way you write Stella and Reed! 

[zakandsara]

 

 

29

Fandom: The X-Files  

Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder 

Prompts: 37 – Chocolate

 

 

“Give me a break- it’s not an X-File, Mulder,” Scully snapped coolly, shutting the door of the passenger side. 

 

He slid in under the steering wheel and turned to her as he buckled. “Yeah, but that’s what you say even when it is.” He smiled his goofy, faux-cocky smile at her and though she all but deadpanned back, the slight raise of her eyebrow told Mulder that she was in a playful mood.  

 

“And I’m usually right then, too,” she shot back, buckling in and settling into the rhythm of the day. “What did Skinner say about-“

 

“Bite?” Mulder mumbled with his mouth full, extending a half eaten Hershey bar in her direction. 

 

She pushed his hand away, fighting a smile. “Mulder...”

 

“Come on, Scully! We’re in Hershey, Pennsylvania and you’re seriously telling me that you‘re going to refuse to imbibe because of a sudden and mysterious chocolate allergy?” He took another obnoxious bite and offered it to her again. 

 

She rolled her eyes. “First of all, it’s not an allergy, Mulder. And it’s neither sudden nor mysterious; this has been happening to me for years.”

 

“Then why have I never witnesses this alleged phenomenon?” He pulled his sunglasses up onto his head and gazed at her, curiously. 

 

“Because I don’t eat chocolate!”

 

Mulder squinted at her. “Because it makes you sneeze?”

 

“We’ve been over this,” Scully sighed. “You don’t have to believe me. Though only one of us has a medical degree, I’ll remind you.”

 

“You may have a ‘medical degree,’ Doctor Dana Scully,” he said slowly, savoring each word of his teasing. “But I have five more of these candy bars in my bag that I will be enjoying sniffle-free.”

 

“Congratulations,” she answered, watching him prepare to take the final bite of his in-progress snack but pausing suddenly. 

 

He turned to her. 

 

“What?” she asked, already exhausted by whatever his answer could be. 

 

He offered his last bite to her, one last time. “Will you try it?” 

 

“No, Mulder,” she quickly shot. 

 

“Oh, come on! Don’t you wanna prove me wrong?” 

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know I’ll never tire of that.”

 

He shrugged. “So what are you afraid of?”

 

“I’m not afraid,” she fired back. “I don’t particularly enjoy sneezing.” 

 

He cocked his head at her. “I, for one, particularly enjoy your dainty, girlish sneezes.”

 

“Shut up, Mulder.” She looked up at him, down at the candy bar, and back at him. She took a deep breath, put her head against her seat, and rolled her eyes so far up toward the roof of the car, she almost got a headache. She wordlessly extended her open palm in his direction, deciding that shutting him up herself was the only way to get the job done. 

 

He dropped the last bit of chocolate into her hand and turned in his seat to watch her, a giddy grin of disbelief on his face. He loved when Scully was willing to play along, or, if not willing, at least so worn down by his requests that she played along anyway. 

 

She popped the chocolate into her mouth and turned to Mulder, chewing diligently. “Stop staring at me,” she grumbled at him, her mouth full. 

 

He laughed. “Sorry, I’m just so-“

 

“He’Nteschhh-iO! Heh’NgtSchhOO!” She paused for a moment before turning back to face him. 

 

“Well, well, well,” he chuckled at her as she crumpled the candy’s wrapper up and tossed it at him. 

 

She opened her mouth to retort but suddenly turned one more time into her right hand. “HEH’tnGkschhht!! Are you done now?”

 

“Are you?” he asked with a smirk, watching her breath hitch gently before she finally rubbed her nose and quelled the itch. 

 

“Another would-be X-File debunked, it seems,” Scully said, wiping her nose on a tissue he’d pulled out of his pocket for her.

 

“Oh, no, Scully,” he said seriously. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be entirely convinced that you’re not just one big walking X-File.”

 

She looked over at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

 

He smiled softly and looked down, almost shy. “You’re...full of mysteries.” 

 

Edited February 20, 2018 by zakandsara

[curlyq9393]

These updates are so good! The second one is especially adorable. As always, I would love to read more!

[zakandsara]

Ask and you shall receive. 🤓

30

Fandom: The Fall  

Characters: Dani Farrington, Stella Gibson 

 

 

I sat comfortably but somewhat self-consciously in the back of the car next to her, alternating between peeking out my window and stealing glances at her as she stared out hers. She hadn’t spoken since she’d asked me to accompany her to the prison where Spector was being held, and I didn’t have anything in particular I needed to hear from her. But that didn’t stop me from willing her to strike up a conversation, even if it were to be just about the unremarkable Belfast weather.  

 

I thought about her singular and undeniable control over every room, particularly if the room was full of men. I thought about her sharpness, how nothing even came close to getting by her. I thought about her intensity, how she spoke softly but every word mattered, how she looked at you with steely eyes but meant only to be as clear as possible. I thought about the way she dressed, how she knew exactly what she was doing when she pulled on either a tight pencil skirt or a pair of slacks, and I glanced to my left to check for today’s costume. Black pants and a deep purple blouse. She looked strong, fierce, dangerous. 

 

She shifted a bit in her seat and my stomach jumped as I quickly trained my eyes forward. I desperately wanted to turn to her, to ask her about today’s goals, to ask her what she was thinking. But I stayed still, always waiting for Stella to make the first move. 

 

I watched her in my periphery; she sat up a bit more, crossed her leg over her knee, rested her hand under her chin. To not turn all the way to face her was torture. 

 

But suddenly, she let out a noise I’d never heard from her, and my head involuntarily jerked to look at its source. 

 

“Hn’ehnngktch!!” 

 

“Bless you, ma’am,” I said automatically. I spoke first, after all. 

 

She cleared her throat. She looked up at our driver, who was all but oblivious to the women in the backseat, and leaned in over the middle seat, closer to me.  “Dani,” she half-whispered, motioning with her eyes for me to lean closer. I did. 

 

“I’m fairly certain I know the answer to this question, but are you wearing perfume?” Her voice wavered a bit as she finished, still in a mild whisper, and turned her head away from our rendezvous. “He’nKgtschh-oo!!”

 

My skin tingled as she leaned back in. I could smell her shampoo. “No, I’m not, ma’am.” 

 

She nodded and returned back to her side, sitting upright once again. “Sir?” she called to the front of the car, demanding our driver’s attention but barely raising her voice. “Will you roll up the divider?” 

 

He tipped his hat at her as the partition slowly rose. It had already been just she and I, but now it was truly just she and I. 

 

She shifted again in her seat, pausing with her elbow hovering under her face for just a moment before succumbing. “H’nGkeschhiOO!! Jesus,” she exhaled.

 

“Bless you,” I said again, not sure if it was right, or if it was okay, or if it was necessary. “Are you all right?” I turned to face her, this time, purposefully. 

 

She nodded. “I am. Cologne,” she clarified, vaguely gesturing toward the front seat. “I wouldn’t normally mind, it’s just...” she paused, seemingly wondering how to phrase what she was about to say. “It’s best not to show any weakness in front of Spector.” 

 

“Weakness?” I asked, almost without meaning to. 

 

She smiled, nearly warmly. “Vulnerabilities, maybe.” 

 

“Oh,” I cleverly replied. 

 

Stella let out a small laugh, which faded quickly into a deep, shaky breath. “Heh’nKgxSHHt!!” She shook her head, frustrated. “Excuse me for this.” 

 

I nodded, looking at the floor. “Is there anything I can do, ma’am?” 

 

“No,” she said, politely, definitively. “Thank you, though. Thank you for coming.”

 

“Of course,” I answered, perhaps too eagerly. “It doesn’t read as weakness,” I suddenly blurted. “I mean, nothing about you reads as weakness,” I clarified. 

 

She cocked her head, smirking curiously. “Noted. Though you wouldn’t think so; you’re on my side.”

 

I looked down, shyly, secretively, mischievously. “Yes. That I am.” 

Edited February 23, 2018 by zakandsara

[Xsneezelover3932]

Oh my goodness! These last 2 updates are excellent!! First off, poor Scully, allergic to chocolate!!? The horror! But I love the idea!

“I don’t particularly enjoy sneezing.” 

 

He cocked his head at her. “I, for one, particularly enjoy your dainty, girlish sneezes.”

 

I mean how freaking adorable is that!! *swoon*

 

And as for The Fall, you had me so interested! Don’t get me wrong, I love the Stella and Reed stories, but I also love a good little story with Dani and this one was just perfect! 

 

I can’t get enough of these! 

[Shamaël]

I don't know The Fall, but I've read all your X-Files drabbles today and they are really, really good! The interaction between Mulder and Sully is completely spot-on. I love their banter. (And, Scully allergic to chocolate? I love the idea!) Thanks for sharing, I'll keep an eye on your thread!

[curlyq9393]

Oooooh, a Stella & Dani fic! They have such an interesting dynamic, and I love that it was from Dani’s POV! As always, would love to read more 😊

[zakandsara]

31. 

Fandom: X-Files (now)

Characters: Scully, Mulder

Prompts: 21-Pollen

 

“You don’t have to be here, you know,” he half-whispered to her as they trudged through the surprisingly thick New Jersey forest, following the gaggle of local policemen who had insisted they escort the FBI agents to the scene. “We have this covered ten times over, for some reason,” he mumbled, gesturing to the bottleneck that had somehow formed between two trees in front of them.

 

Scully rolled her eyes in their direction, but shook her head. “I’m fine, Mulder. It’s my fault anyway-I shouldn’t have skipped my meds this morning.” She quickly rubbed her nose, almost in response. “Besides, if you think I’m going to leave these guys here to figure things out...” She paused, lagging behind him before he even noticed they’d split up. “Heh’iHTshhhiOO!” 

 

He waited until she caught up. “Gesundheit.” He handed her a packet of Kleenex.

 

“Thanks.” She took it gratefully and wiped her nose. “How much farther?” she asked him, trying to sound inquisitive rather than exhausted. 

 

“About 50 yards,” one of the men from up ahead shouted back. 

 

Mulder and Scully shot glances at each other, eyes wide. 

 

“They can hear us?” Mulder mouthed to Scully, which sent her into a fit of giggles that she quickly disguised as a coughing fit when one of the men turned around, looking a bit too serious.

 

She slowed down again, putting more distance between the men and the two of them. “Honestly though,” she started, once she was sure they had regained their composure. “Do you think there’s any truth to this? Because it seems to me this is all just a hometown mystery that got too-“

 

“Spooky?” He smirked at her. 

 

She shrugged, her mouth slightly ajar, and turned slightly away from him as her breath hitched; she didn’t even bother slowing down. “Heh’ihKtSchhhh-oo! He’nTschhhiOO!! Damn it.” She rubbed her nose again and crumpled up the tissue, pushing it down into her coat pocket. 

 

“You know, it could just be my old age,” he paused, looking over at her to catch the slight grin he knew this would evoke. “But I don’t remember this ever happening back in the day.”

 

“Having to take orders from local 22 year olds who are barely out of the academy?” 

 

Mulder put a finger to his lips, shushing her. “That too,” he nearly whispered. “But I was talking about the sneezing.”

 

“Oh,” she chuckled. “This is...a relatively new development. Nothing ever used to bother me when we were traveling across different climates week to week, but now-“

 

“Your cushy corporate job made you go soft?”

 

“-I’m a bit more sensitive to pollen, trees, the general...HEH’nkGschhhiOO!! Outdoors.” 

 

Mulder let out a laugh. “‘A bit?’”

 

She took a deep breath, shooting him a glance. “A lot. My allergies are terrible. I’m all hopped up on antihistamines most days because my herbal remedies stopped helping 10 years ago.” She sighed. “We’re old now, Mulder. It’s all downhill from here.”

 

He smiled, stepping closer to her and putting an arm around her shoulder. “You’ll never be old, Scully. You’re immortal.”

 

She rolled her eyes, but smiled back. “Shut up, Mulder,” she told him. Her voice dripped with levity, and, as she rested her head against his shoulder, it was not lost on her how happy she was as they continued on through the woods, literally walking downhill, together.  

Edited March 8, 2018 by zakandsara

[Xsneezelover3932]

Yay!!! LOVE how she’s suddenly now so allergic to the outdoors! That would definitely lead to some great sneezy moments seeing as they’re outdoors a lot!!!! Great read!! Thanks as always for your awesome stories! 

[Sapphire]

zakandsara you are awesome!

 

[zakandsara]

32. 

Fandom: Rizzoli & Isles

Characters: Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles

 

Jane Rizzoli knocked twice on the office door, not particularly needing nor expecting an answer, and certainly not planning to wait for one even if she were. She waltzed in, sipping her latte and placing the other on the desk of a rather distracted-looking Maura Isles.  

 

“You’re welcome,” Jane joked, taking a seat in one of the exorbitantly expensive leather chairs Maura had set up across from her desk. 

 

“Thahh..thank you. Sorry,” Maura’s voice was shaky, and she still didn’t make eye contact. She almost sounded like she was one the verge of tears. 

 

“Maur, you okay?” Jane sat up, leaning in closer. “What happened?”

 

She shook her head, but exasperatedly gestured to her face. “I’ve been experiencing severe irritation in my...hahhhh....” She paused, her breath becoming erratic for just a moment before evening out again. “My sinus since I arrived this morning and I’m so incrediblehhhh...incredibly fed up, I’m contemplating solving the issue manually.” She sniffled pointedly and rubbed her nose. 

 

“O...kay,” Jane responded, trying to jump to the conclusion her friend was attempting to come to. 

 

Maura rolled her eyes ever so slightly- a sure sign the usually composed and devastatingly polite doctor was, indeed, fed up. “I really, really have to sneeze, and it’s stuck,” she translated. 

 

“Ohhh.” Jane chuckled, but noticed a small pile of crumpled tissues, a bottle of sinus spray, and a few q-tips laid out in front of Maura and refrained from teasing her anymore. “Maura, what did you mean by ‘solving the issue manually?’”

 

As Jane suspected, but had hoped she was wrong about, Maura picked up one of the q-tips and wiggled it around in front of her. “I’m going to stimulate the irritated spot in hopes of more directly inducing the desired response,” she explained. 

 

“You’re gonna stick that thing up your nose and poke it around until you sneeze?” Jane sat back in the chair, shaking her head. “If you’re asking for help...I mean, we’re close, but we’re not that close.” 

 

Maura glared at her, a glint of light-heartedness in her eyes. “I’m a doctor, Jane. I know what I’m doing,” she said, raising the q-tip to her nostril. 

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you’re gonna do it right now?!” Jane stood, placing a hand on Maura’s hand to stop her from continuing. 

 

“Yes! I’m in agony! If you’d like to leave, I’ll gladly meet you downstairs whehhh...when I’m through.” 

 

Jane stared at her and thought for a moment, but shrugged and sat back down. “For the record, I don’t condone this. But I can’t miss the show.”

 

Maura brought the q-tip back up to her nose and cleared her throat. “No comments,” she warned, slowly pushing the tiny cotton tip up further and further. 

 

Jane leaned in closer, resting her chin on her fist and cartoonishly widening her eyes like a kid at the circus. 

 

She watched as Maura carefully twirled the instrument around, and was equal parts disturbed and intrigued at how rapidly her friend’s breathing changed- it was working.  

 

Maura’s eyes started to water slightly, and she reached carefully for a tissue with her free hand. Her chest rose, and she breathed in and out steadily but urgently just a few times before gasping suddenly, desperately, dropping the q-tip, and bending into the tissue. “HE’ihhhTcHHHshhEEIW!! HESCHHHHT-IIEEEW!! EHH’TSCHHHHIIEW!!” She paused, placing a hand over her chest and trying to steady her breathing. “Oh my god.”

 

“Jesus, Maur,” Jane sat back, brows furrowed. “You all right?”

 

She nodded, but held a finger up telling her to wait, and bent away into the crook of her elbow. “HEH’EKtschhhIEOO!! HI’EHtSCHHHHH!! IHHT-shhhhhOO!!” 

 

Jane stood up and pulled a few more tissues from a box, pushing them into Maura’s hand when she finally emerged. 

 

Maura took them gratefully and blew her nose. “Excuse me for that,” she said, professional as ever. 

 

Jane chuckled. “For what? I hardly noticed.”

 

Her friend cracked a small smile, which quickly disappeared as she bent into her wrist at the last minute. “Heh’IHTschhh-oo!!”

 

“Bless you,” Jane offered. 

 

“Ugh. Thank you,” Maura answered with a giggle. “That wasn’t really the ideal start to your day, I’m sure.”

 

Jane stood, picked Maura’s coffee up, and offered it to her before opening the office door and gesturing for her friend to follow. “Watching you do that was still way more pleasant than anything else we’re gonna see today. C’mon- we have a call.” 

Edited April 23, 2018 by zakandsara

[Xsneezelover3932]

I don’t watch Rizzoli and Isles but that was awesome!!!

[zakandsara]

I had to. 

 

33.

Prompt: 89- Money

Fandom: Ocean’s 8 

Characters: Lou, Debbie 

 

 

“Are you sure you’ve thought this through?” Lou, twirling a straw through her fingers and casually biting the tip, asked her partner. 

 

Debbie rolled her eyes. “Do you not trust me?”

 

Lou shrugged and sat back, dropping the straw onto the table. “You’ve been gone for five years,” she folded her arms over her chest. She took a deep breath and suddenly turned toward her shoulder. “Htn’KgnSCHH-uhhh!” She shook her head. 

 

Debbie’s eyebrow quirked and she cocked her head. “You nervous?”

 

Lou squinted at her. “Don’t.”

 

“Don’t what?” Debbie grinned, taking a long sip of her water. 

 

Lou shot her a look: dangerous, knowing, warning. “Don’t assume you know.”

 

“But I do know,” Debbie assured her. “I know Tammy is desperate enough to agree to leave her sad, quiet suburban life. I know Rose needs the exposure. And I know you’re worried.” 

 

Lou, again, rolled her eyes, but bent slightly into her crossed arms. “Heh’tnsCHHH-uhh!” 

 

Debbie handed her a napkin from the table. “I know that it will work out,” she assured her. 

 

The blonde woman took the tissue and wiped her nose defiantly. “You get why it’s hard to just trust you, no?” 

 

Debbie smiled to herself. “I do. I also think it’s foolish to pretend I don’t have a handle on- gesundheit.”

 

Lou suddenly dipped into the now slightly used tissue with a muffled sneeze. 

 

“-on my crew.” She stared at her, almost daring her to disagree. “You still sneeze when you’re nervous.”

 

Lou scowled. “It’s just something in the air.”

 

Debbie chuckled. “If you don’t want to do it-“

 

“I do,” Lou cut in, rubbing at her nose for a moment but finally looking up to meet her partner’s gaze. “I’m in.”

 

 

[curlyq9393]

OBSESSED WITH THIS MOVIE, THIS FIC, AND WITH YOU

[zakandsara]

Just a lil something. 

 

34.

Fandom: The Proposal  

Characters: Margaret Tate, Andrew Paxton

 

After an 8-hour stint on a commercial jet, an hour-long jaunt across the sea in a rickety old plane that hardly seemed suitable for passengers anymore, a few miles in a boat, and 5 or so awkward introductions to the almost-too-sweet Paxton family, Margaret was more than relieved to finally set her bags down in a beautiful room with a huge bed and an incredible view. It was, however, a room she’d be sharing with Andrew, which wasn’t expected, ideal, or particularly appealing to either of them. 

 

“You can have the bed,” Andrew tossed his duffel bag on the floor near the already blazing fireplace. 

 

Margaret squinted at him. “How generous.” 

 

He clenched his teeth and kicked off his shoes. Only a few more days of this, he thought, and they’d be back to being able to openly despise each other instead of pretending to be madly in love. “Do you-“

 

“HET’ngkshhht!” Margaret sniffled sharply and paused, looking around skeptically. 

 

Andrew followed her gaze. “What....are you looking for?” 

 

She shook her head and held up a finger telling him to wait as she slowly took a few steps toward the closed bedroom door. 

 

He watched her, feeling like his head was going to explode if he had to deal with one more of her uptight demands or pretentious opinions. “Margaret-“

 

“He’Ntxgsstch!!” She rubbed at her nose with a tight fist. 

 

“Is that- are those supposed to be sneezes?” 

 

Margaret backed away from the door and started angrily rifling through her own suitcase on the bed. “What? What else would...heh’NtknxTSchh!! Jesus.”

 

“Hey,” Andrew suddenly noticed that she wasn’t overreacting nor looking to exert power nor trying to emasculate him for once. She was actually worked up. 

 

“Hey,” he repeated, taking a seat on the bed. He reached out and stopped her hands from frantically throwing sweaters and scarves onto the floor until she looked up at him. “What’s going on?”

 

She finally softened, just a bit. “I’m just looking for my pills.”

 

“Your pills?” He was confused- he thought he’d known everything about her. He was the one who’d usually have to pick up her pills for her. “I put your Xanax in your purse, and the vitamins are-“

 

“No, my allergy pills,” she clarified, pushing his hand away so should could continue her search. “I know I- HET’NGkshhh-uhh!” 

 

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re allergic to dogs?”

 

She shrugged. “I didn’t realize I’d have to deal with that here.”

 

“We have dogs in Alaska,” he retorted. 

 

She groaned. “Yes, I know you have dogs in Alaska, I just- HE’tkNschh-iOO!!” She paused again, this time of her own accord, and buried her nose in her elbow. “Het’nGxtSchhh-OO!!”

 

Andrew cracked a smile. “You’re gonna blow an eyeball out if you keep trying to hold those in.”

 

She shot him a look. “I’m doing just fine, thank you, I’ve been sneezing on my own for 42 years and, as you can see, I still have both of my eyeballs.” She looked up at him. 

 

He kept her gaze and wordlessly reached an arm into her suitcase. He pulled out the pill bottle and dropped it into her palm. “You’re welcome. And gesundheit.”

 

“He’NGxtschhhh!” She finally took a seat on her side of the bed and caught her breath as tossed his jacket aside and sat at the very end. “Thank you,” she shook the bottle at him. 

 

He shrugged. “Anything for my future wife.”

 

She tossed it at the back of his head and held back a chuckle when he cursed as it hit him. 

 

“I’m sorry,” she managed to get out after regaining composure.

 

He rubbed at his would-be injury. “How did I not know you were allergic to dogs?”

 

She popped a pill into her mouth and swallowed. “It’s not an issue that usually comes up in our professional office building in New York City.”

 

He turned to look at her. “Sure, but-“

 

He realized he caught her just about to sneeze, and as he watched her breath hitch and her nose twitch, he found he was drawn to her in a more human way than he had been yet. She wasn’t scary like this. She was just Margaret. 

 

“HEH’nxxgtch!! Dammit,” she sighed. She looked flustered again. Almost embarrassed. “This’ll stop in a few minutes, I just-“

 

“No, don’t...don’t worry about it,” he stumbled. “You’re okay?”

 

She turned to look at him, just for a minute, but averted her gaze when he caught her eye. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She suddenly looked around the room again, somewhat frantically. “I could use a tissue though...”

 

He jumped up, maybe a little too quickly. “I got it, hang tight.”

 

He hustled to the bathroom, thankful for the distraction to gather his thoughts and focus on the reality of their situation. He looked at himself in the mirror. “She’s your boss. She’s your boss, and you hate her. She’s-“

 

“Heh’EHKschhhiOOO!!”

 

He jumped, pushing the bathroom door open and peeking out. “Impressive.”

 

Margaret’s cheeks were vaguely rosy, but she wasn’t sniffling anymore. “At least I took your advice.”

 

He laughed, tossing the tissue box her way. “For once.” 

[Chanel_no5]

Eeeeeep!! Margaret Tate! I've been wanting to read something with her sneezing since I first saw the movie! And this is lovely, thank you!  

 

[zakandsara]

 

35.

Fandom: Ocean’s 8  

Characters: Lou, Tammy, Debbie

 

 

“Where’s Lou?” Tammy asked, stepping back from the fridge and looking around, realizing she hadn’t seen their operation’s right hand woman in a bit. “Did she leave?” 

 

She looked to Rose, who shrugged and went back to reading her tabloid. Tammy rolled her eyes as she surveyed the room to find that each woman had individually occupied herself and was paying about as little attention to the rest of the group as possible. 

 

She grabbed a beer out of the fridge and shut the door, trudging up the cold metal stairs to the loft. “Lou?” she called, walking toward the woman’s makeshift bedroom. 

 

She got no answer, but heard definite rustling coming from the back half of the room. “Debbie?” 

 

She stepped closer, and just as she inched a hand toward the curtain that separated Lou’s bed from the rest of the loft, it flew open itself. 

 

Tammy jumped and stumbled back. 

 

“Whoa, hey,” Lou put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “You were the one creeping around, it ought to be me who’s startled.”

 

Tammy caught her breath and giggled. “I wasn’t creeping around; I just wanted to make sure you were-“ 

 

She paused as Lou took a small step back. She noticed the woman’s eyes were a bit duller than usual, and her skin a bit pinker. “Are you okay?” 

 

Lou nodded, turning back toward her bedroom. “HEH’tnSchhhht!” She shook her head and groaned, sitting on the edge of the bed and burying her face in her hands. 

 

Tammy joined her, sitting a few feet away. “You sick?”

 

Lou shook her head, sitting back up and rubbing at her eyes. “It’s just - HE’iTnschhhhh!! Heh’tNschh-oo!! Allergy attack,” she finally managed to get in between sniffles. 

 

“Jesus,” Tammy said quietly. “Where’s Debbie?”

 

Lou laughed. “She’s not so good at the care-taking thing,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m fine. It’ll go away...” her breath hitched, and she fought to continue. “...eventually- HEH’tngTschhhhh!! Fucking Christ.”

 

“What are you so allergic to?” Tammy leaned across the bed and plucked a tissue from the box on the night stand. Lou took it gratefully. 

 

“Dogs. Dust. Pollen. True intimacy,” she looked at Tammy, who chuckled. “Could be anything,” she admitted as her mouth dropped slightly and her nose twinged. She snapped into the tissue in her hand. “Heh’TEshhhhh-iOO!!”

 

“Bless you,” Tammy said, peeking over the ledge to see if Debbie had returned. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt as though Debbie walking into their current situation wouldn’t make for a particularly comfortable conversation. 

 

Lou growled. “What are the others doing?” 

 

Tammy shrugged, leaning back on her elbows. “Rose is reading. Daphne’s trying on everything in the closet. Constance is outside.”

 

“And you?”

 

“I was about to make dinner, but then I realized...” she stopped herself. “I mean, I noticed-“

 

“Heh’EHTschhhh-iOO!! Fuck me.”

 

“Do you need anything?” Tammy finally broke down and went into Mom mode, an instinct she’d been actively fighting because she assumed Lou would be allergic to that, too. 

 

Lou laughed at that, which made Tammy somehow simultaneously cringe and relax. “Well, I’m not sure- what are you offering?” 

 

Tammy’s face flushed just enough for Lou to notice, but of course, she didn’t say anything to assuage her- she simply watched to see what Tammy would do. 

 

“I’m not- I don’t know,” she mumbled, fiddling with bracelet. “Drugs, perhaps.”

 

Lou shook her head and finally stood, pulling another tissue from the box as she headed into the bathroom. She bent herself double as she suddenly erupted with another volley of sneezes. “Heh’Ntgschhht! HE’tnschhhht-iEOO!!” 

 

“Still sneezing?” 

 

Tammy, again, startled at an unexpected entrance, and turned to find Debbie had entered. 

 

“I come bearing gifts,” she rattled a plastic bag around before tossing its contents to Lou- a box of what Tammy assumed to be allergy pills. 

 

“How romantic,” Lou purred as she caught the box and tore it open. “Tammy was just offering her services.”

 

Debbie raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” 

 

Tammy rolled her eyes. “I was just trying to help. She was one sneeze away from busting an eardrum or something.”

 

Lou snorted from inside the bathroom, and Tammy couldn’t tell if it was a laugh, but hoped it was. 

 

“Well, here’s hoping her eardrums are safe now,” Debbie said, trying to peek in to the half-shut door after her partner, but just as she stepped closer to push the door open, Lou interrupted. 

 

“Heh’ISHtschhhh! HE’nTschhh-iOO! H‘ihTschhhhT!!”

She emerged, shaking her head.

 

“Bless you,” Tammy and Debbie both told her, almost in unison. They both shot looks at each other. 

 

Lou’s eyebrow arched and she sized both of them up before slinking through between the two of them and heading toward the stairs. “Now, now, ladies,” she turned back to look at them. “There’s more than enough of me to go around.”

 

[curlyq9393]

Currently I’m a small overwhelmed puddle because this fic is too delightful and adorable for me to handle good night 

Edited July 23, 2018 by curlyq9393

[zakandsara]

36.

Fandom: Ocean’s 8  

Characters: Lou, Tammy

 

Lou stepped into the loft and kicked the door closed with her booted foot. She shook her hair out instinctively, setting her bike helmet on top of old newspapers and unpaid bills on the table. 

 

“Back so soon?” Tammy looked up at her from the couch, lowering the volume on the TV as the blonde woman walked over to meet her. 

 

Lou nodded, but paused and quickly ducked into her wrist before saying anything at all. “He’nTchhh! He’IHt-Ntschh!!”  

 

“Bless-“

 

“Heh’EHktschhh-oo!! Jesus.” She dropped onto the couch as if she were exhausted. 

 

Tammy turned to her, almost amused by Lou’s state of fluster. “Are you all right?”

 

Lou shook her head, her nose wrinkled and the backside of her palm waiting underneath in anticipation. Her breath hitched once, twice, and then she gasped dramatically and finally bent herself double. “HE’IKtshh-chhhhOO!!”

 

Tammy furrowed her brow, but giggled softly as she passed a box of tissues to Lou. “Debbie told you the pollen count was too high to go riding.”

 

Lou scowled and yanked a tissue from the box. “Debbie tells me a lot of things. She’s not always right.”

 

Tammy rolled her eyes. “But she was today.”

 

Lou shrugged, burying her nose in the tissue. “HEP’tnXgtch!!”

 

“Don’t do that.”

 

“Now you’re going to tell me what to do?”

 

Tammy sighed. “Only if you keep going stupid things.”

 

Lou glared at her, one eyebrow raised. She half-smiled. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

 

 

—————————————————————————

 

37.

Fandom: Ocean’s 8  

Characters: Lou, Debbie

Prompt: 27 – Disagreement

 

“Debbie?” Lou yelled from the bedroom, where she was supposed to be packing but was mostly just shoving items of clothing into too-small bags. “Deb?” 

 

Nothing. She jammed another pair of boots in before forcing the zipper shut and abandoning the project for good.

 

She poked her head out of the curtain that separated their room from the rest of the loft, but still no sign of the other women. Lou was supposed to have been finished hours ago, and last she saw her, Debbie wasn’t too pleased with her lack of progress. But she doubted she’d have stepped out with the other women without telling her, no matter how annoyed she’d have been. 

 

Lou finally made her way out of the room and down the stairs, now more curious than anything as to what she could be up to. 

 

“Debbie?” she called again, quieter this time, as she reached the bottom of the stairs. 

 

“Kitchen!” she heard, at last, from the other side of the room. 

 

Lou waltzed in and straddled a seat backwards, leaning on its headrest to watch Debbie, who appeared to be chopping up a small village’s worth of vegetables. “What the hell are you doing?” Lou asked, smirking. 

 

Debbie half-playfully tossed the end of a carrot her way. “I’m doing Pilates. What does it look like? I’m making dinner.”

 

Lou picked up the would-be weapon and took a bite. “I was calling for you.”

 

Debbie paused and shifted her weight, turning slightly away from the cutting board. “Sorry, I was...” Her breathing quickened, and she leaned purposefully into her right shoulder. “EHH’TschhhiOO!!”

 

Lou cocked her head. “Ah.”

 

Debbie sniffed and crinkled her nose, returning to chopping. “What do you mean, ‘ah’?” She looked up, raising an eyebrow at Lou. 

 

“I mean, ‘Ah. That’s why you didn’t hear me. You were sneezing’”

 

Debbie chuckled. “I guess so, detective.”

 

Lou stood and stepped behind Debbie, slipping her hands around the woman’s waist and hooking her thumbs into her belt loops. “I’m no detective,” she whispered into her ear, leaning in closely. “I just know you.”

 

“I don’t think you know me as well as you think you do,” Debbie tried to ignore her, but shivered anyway.  She continued to cut. “Besides, you’re distracting me.” 

 

Lou took her hands away and stepped back, tucking a strand of hair behind the brunette’s ear. “Sorry,” she slinked away, grabbing another carrot before heading back to her chair. “Couldn’t help myself.”

 

Debbie looked up at her again and shook her head, trying not to smile. She finally put the knife down and emptied the contents of the cutting board into a sizzling pan on the stove behind her. 

 

“Careful,” Lou warned vaguely. 

 

“I think I can handle this, thank you!” Debbie told her without even turning around. She seasoned the dish and covered it, finally swiveling back to face Lou, who was smiling at her like a cat who’d just caught a mouse. 

 

Debbie rolled her eyes, but laughed in spite of herself. “What is your problem?”

 

“You cook with too much pepper,” Lou deadpanned, just as Debbie’s nose started to crinkle. She watched as the brunette grabbed a napkin from the table and bent desperately into it. 

 

“Eh’ItSCHHieeOO! HE’iESchhhhiOO!!” She straightened herself. “Don’t.”

 

“Bless you, baby,” Lou winked. 

 

“I’m just allergic to you,” she responded, sniffling again before bending quickly into a now-crumpled napkin. “Heh’MPHtschhoo!!” 

 

Lou stood again and plucked a fresh napkin from the table. She swiped at Debbie’s nose, half sweetly, half daringly. “Might I suggest exposure therapy?” 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2018 by zakandsara

[crazygirl22]

I love this movie and I love your drabbles about it even more! This is great! Please keep posting stories like these. You're making me really happy with that :)